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Wednesday, April 28, 2010

April Closes and May Commences with Great Creative Music

The Spring 2010 Jazz Series at Firehouse 12 continues this Friday evening with Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up. The drummer/composer, born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, studied with the great drummer Alan Dawson and has performed with good friend Taylor Ho Bynum, Anthony Braxton, Ravi Coltrane, William Parker, Matana Roberts, David Murray, Nicole Mitchell and others.

His latest project, The Hook Up, features the fine young guitarist Mary Halvorson, trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson, saxophonist Brian Settles and bassist Danton Boller. They'll beb playing music from the upcoming CD on 482 Music, "Actionspeak." You can get a taste of the music by going to www.tomasfujiwara.com/listen.html. It's sounds exciting and will be a kick to hear the material in the intimate performance space.

Wesleyan Jazz Weekend takes place Friday and Saturday evening with 2 concerts (actually, if you include the Anthony Braxton Large Ensemble concert on Thursday, it's a 3-day, 3-show weekend.) Friday, Crowell Concert Hall will resound with the music ofThe Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra, directed by Adjunct Associate Professor Jay Hoggard, and The Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, directed by pianist/composer Noah Baerman. Both aggregations will play music from the jazz continuum so expect Duke Ellington, Oliver Nelson, Charles Mingus and more. The show starts at 8 p.m. (as does Professor Braxton's performance) and is free (as is Professor Braxton's.)

Saturday, The Bennie Maupin Trio will perform at 8 p.m. in Crowell. Maupin, who plays saxophones and bass clarinet, may be best known for his work with Miles Davis and pianist Herbie Hancock (especially in The Headhunters) but he spent time with drummer Roy Haynes, saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, pianists McCoy Tyner and Horace Silver, and trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. His most recent music has appeared on the Cryptogramophone label and is fine, atmospheric, material; quiet (at times), yet probing, often melodic and rhythmically daring. His Trio mates are both master players, bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart. Opening the evening will be The Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra. For ticket information, call the Box Office at 860-685-3355 or purchase online at www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.